


It's Cold and You're Warm

by Megatraven



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Cat tendencies, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Honestly this is just a bucket of fluff, I'll add tags as it goes, Identity Reveal, Mari is a tired bug, ladybug tendencies, unedited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 13:30:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8846911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megatraven/pseuds/Megatraven
Summary: I know it’s a little overdone but I really love LB having Ladybug tendencies and her getting really cold/tired when it’s winter. So have a fluffy identity reveal that also involves some tendencies!Summary: Over time, Marinette finds herself to be more and more affected by the cold of winter. Her and Chat decide that revealing their identities would prove more beneficial than not.





	

Winter was Marinette’s favorite time of year. Keyword being ‘was.’ Ever since she’d accepted her miraculous, ever since she became Ladybug, well... the winters grew harder and harder to bear.

The first time she transformed, and the year of transformations that followed it, she felt almost no difference. The cold was a bit more nippy, but it hadn’t been anything an extra scarf, mittens, and earmuffs couldn’t solve.

The year after that, she wore a heavier jacket, and the year next, a second pair of pants with thick socks and a hat.

The years following those became tougher, and she couldn’t keep the cold from penetrating her garments and seeping down into her bones. She could still fight well, but her stamina lessened. And it continued to do so the longer she bonded with her miraculous.

One night in particular, when she was cuddling up to Chat for warmth, as had become habit between them, she brought up doubts that had plagued her when the cold began to affect their work together.

“Wh-what if I-I can’t make it to a fi-ight? It affects m-me in my civilian id-dentity too. T-Tikki says that I’ll st-start to get tired too this y-year. L-ladybugs hibern-nate you know,” she told him, shivering as she buried herself further into his chest.

His arms wrapped around her, and she felt him rest his chin on top of her head. She felt when he opened his mouth to speak, and when he shut it to think of a response first. That happened multiple times until he actually followed through with voicing his own thoughts.

“Bug, I’m about to say something I don’t think you’l particularly enjoy, but hear me out, okay?” he asked. When she gave what he guessed was a nod, he continued, “I know we decided back at the beginning to keep our identities a secret. I completely understand why, and I know secret identities are important, but I think- I think the more your similarities to actual ladybugs come out, the more we should know who each other are.”

“Th-that’s... okay,” she said, agreeing with his views.

“That way, when there’s an akuma, I can bring it to you so you don’t have to expend so much energy,” he explained on, apparently not hearing her agreement to sharing identities.

“Chat I s-said yeah...”

“And you know, even though it’s not so obviously apparent, I’ve become more catty and it would be really nice to get scratches from someone larger than a kwami-”

“Chat Noir!”

Flinching a bit at her use of his full hero name, which she only used to get his attention or to reprimand him, he took his head from hers and looked down. “Y-yeah?”

“I told you okay. A-as in, let’s reveal o-our identities.”

“I- wait, you’re just... you’re really sure about this?” he asked, hesitant but hopeful. He wasn’t lying when he said he understood why they’d chosen to not know, but that had never stopped his curiosity and hope that the situation would change. When she did something akin to a nod again, he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. In true cat fashion, he also couldn’t help rubbing his head against her own in addition to his tail standing almost completely erect, save for the tip, which hooked to the side. “My lady, I do believe you’ve made me the happiest cat alive,” he chuckled.

“A-and you’re about to make m-me the warmest bug by c-carrying me home,” she managed to say through her chattering teeth. Before he could ask her any details, she made a mental effort to detransform, and was delighted when her suit melted away with a pink flash. Now without her suit, there sat a tired and shivering Marinette Dupain-Cheng bundled up in winter gear reminiscent to how she bundled up back in school. A red blob, what Chat Noir guessed was her kwami, flew into Marinette’s winter coat and nestled into a pocket sewn just for her.

“Why, Princess, what a pleasant surprise,” he purred, unable to help himself. He didn’t really get to see his friend often, thanks to her being busy with starting her own fashion line, and while saddened, he always offered her his support, be it as Adrien or Chat.

“Don’t y-you mean s-surpurrise?” she questioned, looking up at him. There was a spark of humor in her eyes, one that he was all the happier to reciprocate.

“I do indeed. Alright, Purrincess,” he started with a grin, “let’s get you home.  don’t even have to bug you for purrections!”

“Ch-chat?” she asked as he stood up, lifting her carefully and gently.

“Yes, Princess?”

“P-purrections was a really b-bad one,” she said, chortling as much as she could when he denied it.

“You know I only speak the most furbulous of puns, Nettie!”

Marinette only laughed again, and as it died out, both found themselves in a comfortable silence whilst on the way to her studio apartment. It didn’t take them that long to get there, what with Chat’s agility and speed. He definitely got them there quicker than if she had been Ladybug trying to get back. But, even with the quickness of it, Marinette hadn’t been able to keep her eyes open.

“Where’s your key, Princess?” he asked when he approached the door. Looking down at the bundle of ‘Bug in his arms, he was surprised to see her sleeping soundly in his arms. “Well, you did say Tikki said you’d start to get tired this year...” he muttered. “Alright, um... let’s see if you still keep a window unlocked like you did back at your parents’ bakery!”

Shifting his lady so that he held her with one arm, he hopped to the nearest window and tried to open it. When it didn’t budge, he moved to the next, which seemed even less likely to open than the first. Going on to the third window, he found it slid open with a bit of force, and with his princess in hand, he slunk into the apartment, shutting the window (and locking it) behind them.

Unsure of what to do, he decided to hold her close a little longer while he explored the place. Now, he’d been there a few times before as both Adrien and Chat, but Marinette was of a creative and often restless mind, which caused her to change her apartment’s set-up pretty often. (He remembered that, when he commented on it in the past, she said it was because of the lack of space in her previous room that made her want to move things around in her current residence.)

Edging his way around a coffee table that sat just in front of the window and returning to carrying Marinette with both arms, he observed each detail of her home. He saw the fabrics strewn across the couch and counters with needles and spools of thread mixed in, the tiny television that sat in the corner, the large amount of pink that seemed to be in everything. He could see _her_  in the room. Everything about the place seemed to scream ‘Marinette!’ There were other touches, too, more personal ones and ones he didn’t linger on for long, but everything in the room came together to give what he knew was just a tiny glimpse into the amazing mind of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

With a sigh, he walked across the threshold and stepped into Marinette’s bedroom. The room was a small one, wide enough for her bed and a nightstand, but not much room for anything else. He walked along the side of her bed and placed her down with practiced ease, smiling when she mumbled and drew his arm to her.

He tried pulling his arm from her without disturbing her, but as soon as he began to slip from her grasp, she tightened her hold and furrowed her brow.

“Princess,” he breathed, “you’ve got to let go. We can talk later when you wake up, okay?” Not expecting an answer, he tried to remove his arm once more, which proved unsuccessful as she rolled until his arm acted as a pillow. “Princess-”

“No,” she murmured, elongating the vowel and voice thick with sleep. “S-sleep wi’ me.”

“Mari, I can’t. You don’t know me yet,” he told her. He laughed a little when she constricted her hold further, finding her sleepy stubbornness to be quite the endearing sight.

“Yeah ‘do. Yer...” she said, trailing off. She adjusted herself a tiny bit, enough so that she could peer up at him through slit eyes. “Lay down... ‘Drien.”

His laughter died on the tip of his tongue, and his eyes widened. Apparently he looked rather comical, because Marinette started tittering, her whole body shaking with the effort to suppress her laughter. 

“H-how?” he asked, just the slightest bit in awe.

“Tell you if y’lay down,” she said, giving a slight tug on the arm she still held.

Chat Noir, who hadn’t the heart to deny her request any longer, picked her up and slid her over so that he could lay where she had been. His gaze was on the ceiling for a moment, but became fixed on her when she let go of his arm in favor of cuddling into his side.

“You called m’ Nettie,” she explained, “Adrien’s the only one that’s ever called me that, ‘side from Maman and Papa.” He had to chuckle at that- leave it to him to give away his identity by a nickname slip up. Soon, though, silence filled the room, and Chat relaxed against Marinette.

“Kitten?” Marinette whispered suddenly.

“Yeah?”

“Can you help me take m’ coat off? Isn’t comfy.”

“Of course I can,” he said, and sat up to help her out. Her fingers picked at the zipper, but having made no progress with pulling it down, he took on the duty himself. Once it was down, he helped her take the sleeves off and pulled it from underneath her. “Should I leave Tikki-?”

“Mhm, she’ll be fine there. Jus hang it up in the closet?”

He obliged, getting up from the bed and stepping over to her closet. He was careful with hanging it up, hoping to keep from disturbing the kwami further. Just as he made to turn back, he saw a box of blankets and quilts that looked like they’d been fashioned over the years, judging by the stitching of each one.

“Mar, do you need some blankets?”

“Blank’ts sound lovely,” she muttered. “Bring th’ book too.”

“The book?”

“Is under the... the stuff.”

Confused, he decided to just grab the blankets first, and took a stack of them. Turning to the bed, he put them down and began to drape them over his lady, who wrapped herself in them like there was no tomorrow. When he reached to grab another, he saw what she must have meant: a thin and slightly worn-down scrapbook had been hiding beneath the blankets. Grabbing the other two blankets in the pile, he settled down next to Marinette and covered both himself and her. She instantly snuggled into his side again, and with eyes closed, she asked, “Will y’go through the book? An’ maybe tell me what each photo was from? I rem’ber them all, so you can look and jus’ tell me what they’re from.”

He looked from the book to her and back before answering, “I sure will, my lady.” Adjusting himself slightly, he opened the scrapbook and was instantly hit with emotions. The very first picture in the book was one of him, on the day they had met and became partners. Underneath the photo, she had scrawled out a little message that called him her hero. He told her about the photo, and felt it when she smiled against him.

“That was a good day. Did I ever tell you that.” she yawned, “I was going to quit? Put the earrings in Alya’s bag ‘n everything. She forgot it though, an’ so I went back to help. Officer Roger said we weren’ needed, but you told me we were. You were right,” she said fondly, sighing at the memory.

“I didn’t know that, but I- I’m really glad you decided to stay a hero. I had the amazing opportunity to watch you grow into the role. But even before you did, you were my hero too, you know. You were my first real friend in a long time,” he admitted, feeling happy just thinking about the first day they met.

“I’m glad too. Glad I got to know you and laugh and cry with you.”

“Me too, Princess,” he said before turning to the next page. Over the span of the next few pages, there was a collage of images, from patrols to interviews to mid-battle scenes. He told her each situation that each photo had been taken during, and she hummed as she thought about the moments. As the pages went on, Chat Noir began to see a shift in the photos. Sure, there were still pictures from the akuma attacks, interviews, and patrols, but they were few and far between the further they dug into the book. Because instead of those images that belonged to everybody, Marinette had started putting in images that her and Chat took on their respective weapons. They both got emotional the longer they went through the book, until, finally, they reached the end. On the second to last page was a single picture in the corner. Chat couldn’t even name when it was taken, because it appeared to be a candid shot taken as he laughed beside her. His claws glided over the photo with care.

“When did you take this last one? The one of me laughing?”

“Mmm... month ago. We were jus’ hanging out and there were... lots of ladybugs. Wouldn’t leave me alone, an’ you were cracking up, and... Adrien di’ you know your laughter’s really contagious?”

“No, I wasn’t aware of that. But thank- thank you for telling me, Princess,” he said ans nuzzled her. He shut the book and set it on the nightstand, ready to think on everything that had happened that night. He felt more warm and light than he had in a long time, and so he couldn’t hold himself back when he asked, “Mari... H-how okay is it for me to consider you to be... _home_?”

“More than okay. Can I ask you the same thing?”

“Can I give you the same answer?”

“Yer the best, Adrien. Now le’s go to sleep,” she whispered, pulling him to her and throwing one of her arms over his torso.

“Alright, Mari,” he said, turning to snuggle into her as she had done to him.

“Oh, an’ two more things.”

“Hm?”

“I love you,” she said as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. “And you should release... the trans’mation. Let our kwamis rest together.”

“As you wish, my lady,” he said. As she has done earlier, he willed the transformation away without a word, his suit disappearing along with a green light. He glanced at his kwami and gave him a thankful smile and a nod in the direction of Tikki. When Plagg floated away to find his own partner, Adrien tuned his attentions back to Marinette. In a voice softer than a cat’s steps, he breathed, “I love you too.”

The only other sound aside from their breathing was a purr emanating from Adrien, something that comforted hem both and lulled them into a peaceful sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy it! As always, comments, kudos, and bookmarks are appreciated! Feel free to scream to me @megatraven on tumblr!
> 
> Reblog it here: http://megatraven.tumblr.com/post/154462322504/its-cold-and-youre-warm-p-1


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